Pups Fight For Survival
by Elias Vincent
Summary: Elias & a group of other kids find themselves in a deadly game where they must battle it out to avoid being eliminated & killed. Who will win & are the eliminated players actually being killed off?
1. Chapter 1

**PUPS FIGHT FOR SURVIVAL**

 **I DON'T OWN PAW PATROL ONLY MY OC'S**

It was Tuesday morning. Elias woke up only to find himself in a room with 11 other kids. He had no idea what was going on.

" _Is this a dream or am I really in some random room in an unknown location with 11 people I don't know? I hope It's a dream. Otherwise we may be in danger"_ thought Elias.

1 by 1 the other 11 kids woke up. Each of them were aged between 6 & 17\. Elias & the 5 other boys were all even numbered ages while the 6 girls were odd numbered ages. The boys' names were Henry, Flynn, Thomas, James & Rhys & the girls' names were Irene, Brenda, Claudette, Darcy, Nadia & Ginny.

"How did we get here?" asked Brenda.

"I don't know. We probably got kidnapped" said Claudette.

"Does anyone know where we are?" asked Darcy.

"No. I don't recognise this place at all" said Elias.

"I want to go home. I'm scared" said Flynn.

"There has to be a reason we were brought here" said Ginny.

"I don't think our families & friends have anything to do with this" said Henry.

"If this is all a giant joke it's not funny" said Irene.

"I'm going to kill whoever's responsible for doing this to us" said James.

"Who do you think is responsible?" asked Nadia.

"I doubt that any of us know the answer to that" said Rhys.

"We have to find a way out of here before anything bad happens" said Thomas.

The kids started trying to escape the room. They tried banging on the walls & floor to see if there were any hidden doors to escape from & called out for help. Unfortunately, nothing worked. The TV that was fixated on the wall then turned on showing a woman with frizzy brown hair, brown eyes & white skin wearing a red dress. Her name was Linda Wormwood.

"Hello children. Welcome to a little game I like to call Fight For Survival. 12 of you will begin the game but only 1 of you will finish. In each round I'll be putting you to the test in a series of challenges. The winner of each challenge will start a process where they'll select 1 person to save from elimination. That person then gets to save the next person who gets to save the next person & so on. The last player left unsaved will be eliminated. Think of it as a reality TV show. I should also mention that each room is rigged with some sort of death trap & that whoever gets eliminated each round will be killed by the death trap. Only 1 of you shall escape alive & aside from living he or she will pocket a large cash prize as compensation. The entire world is going to watch you compete. Right now, this is being transmitted to everyone in the whole world. Good luck & may the best person win" said Linda as the TV turned off. The kids all started to panic.

"That woman is crazy. She won't get away with this" said Brenda.

"I hope she gets caught before anything bad happens" said Claudette.

"Me too. What she's doing is illegal" said Darcy.

"How she was able to get us all here is rather strange. I've never seen that woman before in my life" said Elias.

"Me either. I don't think any of us know who she is" said Flynn.

"It's scary to think that the entire world is being forced to watch this. That's messed up" said Ginny.

"I'll say. I hope she was joking about the death traps" said Henry.

"I think she was being serious. What do we do?" asked Irene.

"I don't know. I'm not sure if there's anything we can do" said James.

"I'm scared. I don't want any of us to die" said Nadia.

"1 way or another we'll find a way out of this. I refuse to let that crazy woman subject us to this savagery" said Rhys.

"We better think of something before it's too late" said Thomas.

Everyone tried to think about how to escape but they couldn't find a solution. Soon a long counter appeared in the room with 12 seats. Everyone sat at the counter as 12 bowls of food appeared in front of them. The food looked to be a mix of meat, vegetables, cheese, fruit, water & cream. Linda's voice was then heard on an intercom.

"For your 1ST challenge you must eat the entire bowl of food in front of you as quickly as possible. The 1ST person to finish the food wins & gets to start the elimination process. Bon Appetit" said Linda.

Everyone began trying to eat the food. Unsurprisingly it tasted gross. Most of the kids had trouble trying to swallow any of it. A few kids even came close to vomiting. Elias thought of a way to get the food down & came up with the idea to tilt his head back as he swallowed so that he wouldn't have to feel the taste of the food for very long. As the other kids struggled to eat their bowls of food Elias began putting his plan into motion. He tilted his head back & began swallowing mouthfuls of food. The other kids watched in amazement as Elias downed the food like it was a gourmet meal. A few minutes later Elias had finished eating.

"Congratulations Elias. You win the challenge & get to start the elimination process" said Linda.

"That was disgusting. I never want to eat that again" said Elias.

Soon the counter, seats & bowls of food disappeared. A table with 11 keys appeared.

"Congratulations on your victory Elias. You get to take a key which unlocks the door to the next room. Each door can only be opened with the keys. You must now begin the elimination process by selecting 1 of the other kids you'd like to save from elimination. Whoever you choose will then save another kid who'll save another kid & so on. Each saved kid will get a key to the next room. The child left at the end who hasn't been saved & doesn't have a key will be eliminated & killed by the death trap in the room. Elias, you may now take a key & select who you'd like to save" said Linda.

"I choose to save Brenda" said Elias as he grabbed a key for himself. Brenda grabbed a key for herself before making her choice.

"I'm saving Thomas" said Brenda.

"I'd like to save Nadia" said Thomas as he grabbed a key.

"I'm going to save Flynn" said Nadia as she grabbed a key.

"I save Claudette" said Flynn as he grabbed a key.

"I wish to save Henry" said Claudette as she grabbed a key.

"Darcy is who I'd like to save" said Henry as he grabbed a key.

"I shall save James" said Darcy as she grabbed a key.

"Ginny is safe" said James as he grabbed a key.

"I'm really sorry that I have to do this, but I have to save Rhys" said Ginny as she grabbed a key.

"Thanks Ginny" said Rhys as he grabbed a key. This left Irene without a key.

"Irene you're the 1ST player to be eliminated. The rest of you may proceed to the next room" said Linda.

All the kids with keys entered the next room leaving Irene alone in the 1ST room.

"It's sad to see that you're the 1ST eliminated being the youngest girl at 7 years old. The death trap involves removing the oxygen leaving you to asphyxiate. You can try to escape but it's not going to work. Goodbye Irene" said Linda.

"HELP ME. SOMEONE PLEASE HELP. I DON'T WANT TO DIE" cried Irene as she tried to find a way to escape. The oxygen slowly got taken out of the room. Irene tried holding her breath as she tried to escape but it didn't work. Eventually all the oxygen in the room was gone & Irene asphyxiated. It was at this point that the transmission being broadcast to the world was temporarily cut off. At the Vincent family mansion everyone sat in horror induced silence at what they had watched.

"I can't believe this. That Linda woman is deranged" said Angel.

"The worst part is that we don't even know where those guys are" said Ella.

"There's no way that Linda will get away with this. She will get caught for doing this to innocent children" said Ethan.

"I hope that poor girl didn't really die & that it's all scripted as part of the show. Nobody would be that sadistic to endanger children like that" said Harry.

"I hope Elias & the other kids return home safely. Surely the PAW Patrol will find them" said Kelly.

"I'm not sure if this "game" is being held in Adventure Bay. Finding them won't be easy" Susie.

"This feels like a nightmare. I wish it was so that we could all reassure ourselves that nobody got hurt" said Terry.

That night as Kelly went to bed she thought about how freaky it was that Elias was trapped in a potentially deadly game.

" _I'm really freaked out about that show Elias is on. It seems like he & the other kids are in potential danger. I don't know if they're in a life-threatening scenario or if it's just a well scripted storyline for the show. I hope it's the latter case. I doubt that anyone would make a show like this & actually kill off the people involved"_ thought Kelly as she went to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: Ready, Aim, Fire

The next day the 11 remaining kids woke up in the 2ND room. They were all still confused as to what was going on.

"Do you guys think this is a new reality TV show we're competing in?" asked Brenda.

"I'm not sure. I don't remember applying for any TV shows recently" said Claudette.

"That crazy woman probably kidnapped us & brought us here. I doubt this is a new show" said Darcy.

"Perhaps it's a publicity stunt. If it's being broadcast around the entire world there's a chance she wants her name to be known for some reason" said Elias.

"This doesn't make sense. Why is this happening to us?" asked Flynn.

"There must be some way we were chosen for this. I don't think Linda just picked 12 random kids out from everyone else" said Ginny.

"I don't even know how she knows us. I can't say I've ever met her before" said Henry.

"None of us have. Her name doesn't sound familiar" said James.

"Do you guys really think Irene was actually killed?" asked Nadia.

"I hope not. Maybe she's alive & that her "death" was just a staged event to make this whole thing more interesting" said Rhys.

"If she's actually dead then Linda's incredibly stupid for broadcasting it. She's basically revealing that she's a serial killer to the whole world" said Thomas.

Everyone once again tried to escape but their attempts were futile. A target with different coloured zones & 11 sets of bows & arrows appeared in the room as Linda was heard on the intercom.

"For this challenge each of you has a bow & arrow set which you'll use to try & hit the target with. Each zone of the target is worth a different amount of points. The bullseye is worth 100 points, the inner zone is worth 75 points, the outer zone is worth 50 points & the edge is worth 25 points. Each of you has 3 arrows to fire at the target. Whoever has the highest score at the end of the challenge wins & gets to start the elimination process. Good luck" said Linda.

Everyone picked up a bow & arrow set & took it in turns to fire at the target. Brenda went 1ST. Her 1ST arrow hit the outer zone, her 2ND arrow hit the inner zone & her final arrow hit the bullseye giving her a total of 225 points. Claudette went next & scored 175 points by landing 1 arrow in the bullseye & 1 in the inner zone with the 3RD arrow missing the target. Darcy's arrows landed in the inner, outer & edge zones giving her a score of 150, Elias made precise adjustments & astonishingly got all 3 arrows in the bullseye giving him 300 points, Flynn got 1 arrow in the outer zone & 2 in the edge zone giving him 100 points, Ginny got 2 arrows in the inner zone & 1 in the outer zone giving her 200 points, Henry got all 3 arrows in the edge zone giving him 75 points, James got all 3 arrows in the inner section giving him 225 points, Nadia only landed 1 arrow in the edge zone while the other 2 missed the target giving her 25 points, Rhys missed the target completely leaving him with 0 points & Thomas hit the bullseye twice & the inner zone once giving him 275 points.

"Congratulations Elias. Whether by luck or skill you've won another challenge. Once again you get to start the elimination process" said Linda.

The bow & arrow sets & the target disappeared as a table with 10 keys appeared. Elias took 1 key & began the elimination process.

"I'll save Nadia" said Elias.

"I'm going to save Thomas" said Nadia as she grabbed a key.

"I'm saving Brenda" said Thomas as he grabbed a key.

"I shall save Flynn" said Brenda as she grabbed a key.

"I choose to save Claudette" said Flynn as he grabbed a key.

"I wish to save Henry" said Claudette as she grabbed a key.

"Darcy is who I'm saving" said Henry as he grabbed a key.

"James is safe" said Darcy as she grabbed a key.

"The last person safe is Ginny" said James as he grabbed a key.

"For a moment I thought I was done for" said Ginny as she grabbed a key. This left Rhys without a key.

"Sorry Rhys but you've been eliminated. The rest of you may advance to the next room" said Linda.

Everyone who had a key used it to enter the next room leaving Rhys all alone.

"The death trap in this room involves water rushing in & filling every inch of the room. It must suck to know you're going to die at the age of 16. Goodbye Rhys" said Linda as water began filling the room. Rhys desperately tried to escape.

"HELP. STOP THE WATER. THIS IS CRAZY. LET ME OUT" cried Rhys as the room continued to fill with water. Eventually the entire room was filled. Rhys held his breath as he tried to find a way out but soon he started breathing water in & he drowned. Meanwhile Ryder went around Adventure Bay trying to find where Elias & the other kids were being held. He asked everyone in town if they recognised the other kids, Linda or the location they were being held. Unfortunately, nobody had a clue as to where they were & they didn't recognise anyone other than Elias. After searching throughout town & finding no leads Ryder returned to the Lookout.

"So far, I still haven't found anything leading to the whereabouts of Elias, Linda & the other kids. How about you guys? Did you get any leads?" asked Ryder.

"No, we didn't. We gave it our best shot, but we got nothing" said Chase.

"We'll continue the search tomorrow. Let's get some rest" said Ryder.

Everyone proceeded to settle down for the night. As Ryder went to bed he thought about how bizarre it was that Linda was broadcasting horrific imagery that likely involved death.

" _I don't know what the story is behind this so called "game" but if Linda's actually killing off those kids for losing we'll have her brought to justice. I can't tell if the deaths are real or if it's just acting. The sooner we figure out the truth the better"_ thought Ryder as he went to sleep.


	3. Chapter 3: Tricky Trivia

The next day the 10 remaining kids waited in the next room as they tried to figure everything out.

"This is really freaky. I wish we could all go home" said Brenda.

"Me too. I don't want to play this game anymore" said Claudette.

"None of us wanted to play in the 1ST place. We're being forced to do this against our will" said Darcy.

"The sooner our friends & family find us the better. Linda's going to get caught for what she's done sooner or later" said Elias.

"It would be easier on us if we knew why she was doing this. That'd explain everything" said Flynn.

"I hope that the eliminated players aren't actually being killed. If they are it makes this whole game a lot more terrifying" said Ginny.

"Either the deaths are real or they're well-acted special effects to induce fear & thrills" said Henry.

"I'm not getting eliminated to find out the truth" said James.

"What do you think the next challenge will be?" asked Nadia.

"I don't know. It could be literally anything" said Thomas.

As everyone attempted to escape to no avail 10 booths appeared. Linda's voice was then heard on the intercom.

"Welcome to your next challenge. You'll be asked a series of trivia questions which you must answer. If you answer correctly you remain in the challenge but if you answer incorrectly you're out of the challenge. Whoever outlasts everyone else by answering every question correctly wins the challenge & gets to start the elimination process. May the best person win" said Linda.

All the kids entered the booths & began answering the questions. The 1ST question was a maths equation which everyone except Darcy got correct. The 2ND question was about sports which Flynn answered incorrectly. Brenda was eliminated after answering a question about politics incorrectly, Thomas was eliminated after an incorrect answer on a movie question, Ginny got a question about history incorrect, Henry answered incorrectly on a question about science, Nadia was eliminated after a music question, James was eliminated for incorrectly answering a literature question & Claudette got the final question about food wrong giving Elias his 3RD consecutive win.

"You're on a roll Elias. I'm impressed with your skills. You get to start the elimination process once again" said Linda as the booths disappeared & were replaced with a table on which 9 keys rested.

"I choose to save Nadia" said Elias as he grabbed a key.

"I'm saving Flynn" said Nadia as she grabbed a key.

"I'll save Brenda" said Flynn as he grabbed a key.

"I wish to save Henry" said Brenda as she grabbed a key.

"I'm going to save Claudette" said Henry as he grabbed a key.

"I shall save James" said Claudette as she grabbed a key.

"Darcy is safe" said James as he grabbed a key.

"The last person safe is Thomas" said Darcy as he grabbed a key.

"That's a relief" said Thomas as he grabbed a key. This left Ginny without a key.

"Unfortunately, this means that you're eliminated Ginny. The rest of you may advance to the next room" said Linda.

Everyone with keys proceeded to enter the next room leaving Ginny behind.

"The death trap in this room involves a poisonous gas that'll be released into the room. What a horrible way to die for a 17-year-old. Bye Ginny" said Linda.

"LET ME OUT. HELP ME. I'M TOO YOUNG TO DIE" cried Ginny as the gas began seeping into the room. As Ginny frantically tried to escape she held her breath. Eventually she began breathing in the gas & was slowly poisoned to death. Meanwhile the search for everyone was still underway. Angel searched around the woods near the camping grounds where she used to live. She searched everywhere but ultimately, she found nothing leading to the whereabouts of Linda & the kids.

"This search is going nowhere. Sooner or later we'll find something that'll point us in the right direction" said Angel as she returned to the mansion.

"I checked through the woods near the camping grounds, but I found nothing" said Angel.

"I'm getting extremely concerned. The longer it takes to find them the more likely it'll be that they all end up dead" said Ella.

"I think they can make it. If nobody's actually being killed I'm sure that Elias & the other kids will return home safely soon enough" said Ethan.

"Linda's going to jail once she gets caught. There's no way she's getting away with this" said Harry.

"If she even dares to hurt Elias I'll make her pay in the worst way possible" said Kelly.

"I'm still confused over whether or not anyone's actually in danger. It doesn't make sense for someone to broadcast stuff like this that could actually kill people for entertainment" said Susie.

"Maybe it's special effects. That's the only solution I can think of" said Terry.

Everyone spent the rest of the evening trying to figure out the truth behind Linda's game. As Angel went to bed she thought about how difficult it was to find everyone.

" _So far none of us are any closer to finding where Linda & the kids are. I have a bad feeling that they're in danger. All I hope for is that Elias & the other kids make it home safely. Once we find them Linda will be in so much trouble. I don't know why she thinks kidnapping children & forcing them to play a potentially deadly game is fun. I think that's sadism. She will be brought to justice 1 way or another"_ thought Angel as she went to sleep.


	4. Chapter 4: Score, Slide & Hang

The next day the 9 remaining kids found themselves in room 4 trying to get out alive.

"With every room we get through it increases our chances of survival, but it decreases at the same time" said Brenda.

"I would've thought our families & friends would've found us by now. Everyone must be looking for us" said Claudette.

"The sooner they find us & put Linda in jail the better. That woman is crazy" said Darcy.

"I'll say. I still don't know whether or not the losing kids are actually being killed" said Elias.

"I hope they're not. Surely it has to be special effects or some other gimmick" said Flynn.

"Just the thought of us being killed is terrifying. I don't want to think about what might happen to us" said Henry.

"I don't know how Linda even brought us here or how she knows us. It's creepy that she'd put us in this kind of situation for little to no reason" said James.

"It's like we're in a horror movie. Maybe that's what this is" said Nadia.

"I hope so. It's better than being killed for real" said Thomas.

Once again everyone tried to escape but nothing worked. A set of pinball machines, a set of slide puzzles & a set of horizontal bars appeared as Linda's voice was heard on the intercom.

"Time for your next challenge. It'll be played in 3 rounds. In round 1 you all have 5 minutes to get the highest score you can on the pinball machines. The 6 highest scoring kids will advance to round 2 where they'll race to solve a sliding puzzle. The 1ST 3 to solve their sliding puzzles will advance to round 3 where they'll have to hang from a bar for as long as they can. Whoever hangs onto their bar the longest wins the challenge & starts the elimination process. I wish you all luck" said Linda.

All the kids began playing on the pinball machines. They launched the ball & used the controls to send the balls around the obstacles as they tried to get the highest score they could. Elias once again came out on top by scoring 5000 points, Darcy advanced with 4750 points, Henry advanced with 3500 points, Brenda advanced with 2250 points, James advanced with 1000 points & Nadia advanced with 500 points. Claudette, Flynn & Thomas were eliminated with 475, 350 & 225 points respectively. The 6 remaining kids then went over to the sliding puzzles & worked as fast as they could to manoeuvre the pieces & solve the puzzle. The slide puzzle showed a picture of Linda when completed. Elias, Darcy & James were the 1ST 3 to solve their sliding puzzles eliminating Brenda, Henry & Nadia. Elias, Darcy & James then went over to the bars & hung on. As time went by they all felt the strain. Elias used breathing techniques he learned through meditation & yoga to put intense concentration on holding the bar while blocking out the pain. Darcy & James both struggled & readjusted numerous times. James eventually dropped after 10 minutes & Darcy soon dropped after 20 minutes making Elias the winner of yet another challenge.

"Well done Elias. 4 victories in a row. You're very talented. You get to start the elimination process again" said Linda as the pinball machines, slide puzzles & bars disappeared & were replaced with a table holding 8 keys.

"I shall save Brenda" said Elias as he grabbed a key.

"I'm going to save Flynn" said Brenda as she grabbed a key.

"I'm saving Claudette" said Flynn as he grabbed a key.

"I'll save Henry" said Claudette as she grabbed a key.

"I wish to save Darcy" said Henry as he grabbed a key.

"James is safe" said Darcy as she grabbed a key.

"The last person safe is Nadia" said James as he grabbed a key.

"Yay I'm safe" said Nadia as she grabbed a key. This left Thomas without a key.

"Thomas you're eliminated. The rest of you may continue to the next room" said Linda.

The kids who had keys entered the next room leaving Thomas by himself.

"The death trap in this room is a bucket of acid that'll melt you into sludge. For a 12-year-old that'll be a painful way to go. Goodbye Thomas" said Linda.

"NO. LET ME GO. SAVE ME" cried Thomas as a bucket of acid dropped from the roof & was dumped on him. Thomas screamed in agony as the acid melted him to sludge. Meanwhile Chase was continuing the search for Linda & the kids. He was in Barkingburg asking the Earl, Princess, Sweetie & the rest of the kingdom if they knew where Linda & the kids could be found. Nobody in Barkingburg had any idea where they were. After searching through the whole kingdom & finding nothing Chase returned to Adventure Bay.

"How did the search in Barkingburg go Chase?" asked Ryder.

"It went nowhere. Nobody in Barkingburg had any information & I didn't find any leads. Linda & the kids must be somewhere else" said Chase.

"We'll find them eventually. They surely can't be too far away. We'll continue the search tomorrow" said Ryder.

Everyone settled down for the night. As Chase lay in his pup house he thought about how frustrating it was to have no leads as to Linda & the kids' whereabouts.

" _It really annoys me that we haven't found anything that'll lead us in the right direction. I refuse to let Linda get away with this. As a law enforcement officer, I will prosecute her to the highest degree of the law. I won't show her any mercy. Why should I when she's possibly endangering the lives of innocent children? I'll make sure she gets what she deserves"_ thought Chase as he fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Across The Grid

On day 5 of Linda's game the 8 remaining kids found themselves in another room.

"This game really sucks. I don't want to play anymore" said Brenda.

"I don't think any of us do. None of us wanted to play in the 1ST place" said Claudette.

"There are so many questions about all this that we need answers to" said Darcy.

"Finding those answers won't be easy. I doubt Linda's going to tell us what we want to know that easily" said Elias.

"Sooner or later she'll have to spill the beans. She won't stay quiet forever" said Flynn.

"Once we find her we'll make her explain everything. I refuse to let her keep secrets from us" said Henry.

"The police will take her to jail once they catch her. She's never going to leave prison for what she's done" said James.

"Hopefully today's the day we get out of here & reunite with our families & friends" said Nadia.

A giant grid of squares appeared after another failed attempt to escape. Linda's voice was then heard on the intercom.

"This challenge will be played in a tournament style bracket. You'll start at 1 end of the grid & try to work your way to the other side. In the 1ST row 1 tile has an X on it. The 2ND row has 2 X tiles, the 3RD row has 3 X tiles & so on. If you step on a tile with an X square you must go back to the beginning & start over. The 1ST person to reach the other side wins & advances in the bracket while the loser is out. The X tiles are rearranged each match to make it that much harder. The winner of the final match wins the challenge & gets to start the elimination process. Best of luck" said Linda.

The matchups for round 1 were Elias vs Nadia, Darcy vs Flynn, Claudette vs Henry & Brenda vs James. Elias & Nadia went 1ST. They both did quite well at 1ST as they got through the 1ST 3 rows without choosing an X tile. Nadia landed on an X tile on the 4TH row sending her back to the beginning. Elias made it to the 6TH row before choosing an X tile & returning to the beginning. Nadia reached the 8TH row on her 2ND attempt before landing on another X tile. Elias successfully made it to the other side of the grid on his 2ND attempt making him the winner of the match. Darcy & Flynn went next. They both hit X tiles on the 3RD, 5TH, 7TH & 9TH rows respectively on their 1ST 2 attempts. Darcy ultimately won the match after reaching the other side of the grid on her 3RD attempt. Claudette & Henry were the next 2 to face off. They hit at least 1 X tile on almost every row before Henry won the match. Brenda & James were the last 2 to face off in the 1ST round. The match ended with Brenda claiming victory. Darcy & Elias went 1ST in round 2. They both landed on numerous X tiles as they tried to cross the board. Elias ultimately pulled through & advanced to the championship match. Brenda & Henry faced off next & had a fair amount of difficulty trying to cross the board. It was Brenda who ultimately won & advanced to the championship. During the championship match Brenda & Elias struggled to reach the other side of the board as they landed on 1 X tile after another. It was a close match, but Elias barely pulled out a win.

"5 for 5 Elias. Once again the elimination process will begin with you" said Linda.

The grid of tiles disappeared & was replaced by a table with 7 keys on it.

"I'm going to save Brenda" said Elias as he grabbed a key.

"I'm saving Flynn" said Brenda as she grabbed a key.

"I'll save Claudette" said Flynn as he grabbed a key.

"I shall save Henry" said Claudette as she grabbed a key.

"I choose to save Darcy" said Henry as he grabbed a key.

"The last person safe is James" said Darcy as she grabbed a key.

"I'm very lucky" said James as he grabbed a key. This left Nadia without a key.

"You've been eliminated Nadia. The rest of you may continue to the next room" said Linda.

Nadia was left behind as everyone entered the next room.

"The death trap in this room is a pit of insects that'll bite & sting you to death. That's a nasty fate for a 15-year-old. Goodbye Nadia" said Linda.

"YOU CRAZY LUNATIC. YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET AWAY WITH THIS" cried Nadia as the floor opened up revealing a pit of ants, bees, wasps & other biting & stinging insects. Nadia tried to find something to hold on to, but she eventually fell into the pit. She screamed in agony as the insects bit & stung her to death. In Adventure Bay Carlana, Everest & Jake were searching the mountains in the hopes of finding Linda & the kids. They searched everywhere they could, but they found nothing to indicate where Linda & the kids were.

"It doesn't look like they're anywhere near here" said Carlana.

"Wherever they are they're very well hidden" said Everest.

"There are lots of places that Linda & the kids she's holding hostage could be. I can't give a guarantee as to where they actually are" said Jake.

After searching everywhere in the mountains & finding nothing Carlana, Everest & Jake returned to the cabin. Ryder called them to ask how their search went.

"Hey guys. Did you find anything in the mountains?" asked Ryder.

"No, we didn't. I don't think Linda & the kids are in that area" said Carlana.

"We searched everywhere but we didn't come across anything that would've been helpful" said Everest.

"It's more than likely that they're somewhere else" said Jake.

"OK thanks guys. The search will continue tomorrow" said Ryder as he hung up. The rest of the evening was uneventful. As Everest went to bed she wondered where Linda & the kids could possibly be.

" _There are so many places I can think of that Linda & the kids could be. Trying to find them is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. The sooner we can find them the more likely it is we'll be able to save them all. Linda's lucky that we haven't found her yet. Her luck will eventually run out"_ thought Everest as she went to sleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Bowl-A-Rama

It was now the 6TH day of Linda's game. The 7 remaining kids were still on edge not knowing if their lives were in danger.

"I don't know how much longer this "game" is going to last but I hope it ends soon" said Brenda.

"We all do. Games are meant to be fun but none of us are enjoying ourselves" said Claudette.

"I think only Linda is having fun with all this. I bet she's enjoying every moment" said Darcy.

"She's probably the type of person who gets pleasure from other people's pain & suffering" said Elias.

"Considering everything she's done to us I'm not surprised" said Flynn.

"What do you think the outside area of this place looks like?" asked Henry.

"I don't think any of us would know" said James.

A bowling lane appeared after yet another failed attempt. Linda's voice was then heard on the intercom.

"Today's challenge is a game of bowling. All of you will have 1 turn each to knock down as many pins as you can. Whoever knocks down the most pins wins the challenge & gets to start the elimination process" said Linda.

Brenda went 1ST. She rolled the ball down the bowling lane & ultimately knocked 5 pins down. Claudette went next & knocked 3 pins down. Darcy knocked 1 pin down, Elias' careful measurements & planning allowed him to get a strike, Flynn knocked 8 pins down, Henry knocked 6 pins down & James knocked 4 pins down.

"I'm fascinated with your abilities Elias. For the 6TH straight time you win the challenge & get to start the elimination process" said Linda.

The bowling lane disappeared & was replaced with a table holding 6 keys.

"I'll save Brenda" said Elias as he grabbed a key.

"I'm going to save Flynn" said Brenda as she grabbed a key.

"I shall save Claudette" said Flynn as he grabbed a key.

"I'm saving Henry" said Claudette as she grabbed a key.

"The last person safe is Darcy" said Henry as he grabbed a key.

"Still in it to win it" said Darcy as she grabbed a key. This left James without a key.

"James you're eliminated. The rest of you can advance to the next room" said Linda.

James remained in the current room as the others entered the next room.

"The death trap in this room is a giant compressor that'll slowly come down from the roof & crush you. That's a gruesome way for a 14-year-old to die. Goodbye James" said Linda.

"YOU CAN'T DO THIS. LET ME OUT OF HERE. HELP" cried James as the compressor began lowering from the roof. James tried to escape but he failed & was soon crushed to death. Meanwhile Marshall was looking around the farm for any sign of Linda & the kids. He searched every inch of the farm & asked Farmer Al & Farmer Yumi if they'd seen Linda & the kids. Unfortunately, neither of them had. After finding no leads Marshall Headed back to the Lookout.

"Did you find anything at the farm Marshall?" asked Ryder.

"No. I searched everywhere & asked Farmer Al & Farmer Yumi if they had any information. I didn't find anything & neither of the farmers had any information that'd lead us to where Linda & the kids are" said Marshall.

"Thanks Marshall. The search shall continue tomorrow. We better get some rest" said Ryder.

Everyone proceeded to settle down for the night. As Marshall got ready for bed he thought about how hopeless it seemed with the lack of leads.

" _The lack of leads we have is really frustrating. We've made almost no progress since the search began. Wherever they all are they're obviously in a place nobody would ever think to look. Things aren't looking good right now & if we don't find any leads soon it'll be too late to save all the kids. Hopefully tomorrow we get a lucky break"_ thought Marshall as he drifted off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7: Maze Mania

It had now been a week since Linda's game had begun. In room 7 the 6 remaining kids were discussing how much longer it would take to escape.

"How long do you think it'll be until we get out of here?" asked Brenda.

"I don't know. I hope today we break free" said Claudette.

"With every passing day it feels like our chances of escaping are disappearing" said Darcy.

"1 way or another Linda will get caught & locked up. She's not getting away with this" said Elias.

"I've almost forgotten what she looks like since we've only seen her once" said Flynn.

"I have a feeling we might see her again soon" said Henry.

The kids tried yet another escape attempt but unsurprisingly it was in vain. A set of table mazes appeared in the room as Linda was heard on the intercom.

"For this challenge each of you must navigate a ball through a table maze trying to get it from the start corner to the finish corner. There are numerous holes around each maze & if the ball falls through any of them you must start again. The 1ST person to get their ball to the finish corner wins & starts the elimination process. Good luck everyone" said Linda.

Everyone went over to the table mazes & placed their balls in the start corner. They then began trying to manoeuvre the balls through the maze. Darcy had lots of trouble & kept getting her ball dropped through 1 of the 1ST few holes. Flynn made a fair bit of progress through the maze, but he only got halfway before dropping the ball in a hole & having to start over. Brenda did a good job navigating the passages, twists & turns but 75% of the way through the maze she dropped the ball in a hole & was forced to start over. Henry made it really close to the finish, but he couldn't make the precise movements needed & ended up starting again after dropping the ball in a hole. Claudette made it to the passage closest to the finish corner, but she made a mistake by manoeuvring the maze at an angle that caused her ball to fall in a hole leaving her to start over. Elias made sure to calculate the precise movements needed & went at a steady pace. As the others continued trying to get their balls into the finish corner as quickly as possible Elias took his time & didn't panic. His approach paid off & he got his ball into the finish corner before the others.

"You never cease to amaze me Elias. You get to start the elimination process yet again" said Linda.

The balls & table mazes disappeared & were replaced with a table holding 5 keys.

"I'm going to save Brenda" said Elias as he grabbed a key.

"I'm saving Flynn" said Brenda as she grabbed a key.

"I choose to save Claudette" said Flynn as he grabbed a key.

"The last person safe is Henry" said Claudette as she grabbed a key.

"Looks like we're the final 5" said Henry as he grabbed a key. This left Darcy without a key.

"Darcy that means you've been eliminated. The rest of you may continue to the next room" said Linda.

Darcy was left behind as the others went into the next room.

"The death trap in this room is a set of power lines that'll electrocute you. I can't imagine how that would feel for a 13-year-old. Goodbye Darcy" said Linda.

"YOU WON'T GET AWAY WITH THIS LINDA. YOU WILL GO TO JAIL ONCE THE POLICE FIND YOU" cried Darcy as a set of power lines appeared. Darcy was thrown into them & began to jolt as the flow of electricity hit her. She screamed as she was electrocuted. Meanwhile Rocky had gone to the South Pole to see if Linda & the kids were there. He searched everywhere he could & tried to ask the local wildlife if they'd seen anything that would help. Ultimately Rocky got no closer to finding Linda & the kids than he had before. He proceeded to return to the Lookout.

"How did you go Rocky?" asked Ryder.

"The South Pole was bare. I didn't see anything unusual & the wildlife weren't of any help either. I don't think we're any closer to finding Linda & the kids" said Rocky.

"OK thanks Rocky. We'll continue tomorrow. Let's get some rest" said Ryder.

Everyone settled down for the night. As Rocky went to bed he thought about how difficult it was to find Linda & the kids.

" _This is a very frustrating search & rescue effort. None of us have any idea where Linda & the kids are & everywhere we look turns up nothing. We need some type of clue or sign. If we had 1 I think we'd have an easier time rescuing the kids from Linda's "game""_ thought Rocky as he drifted off to sleep.


	8. Chapter 8: Shooting Hoops

It had now been 8 days since the beginning of Linda's game. The 5 remaining kids were in another room wondering if they were close to escaping.

"I'm sure that we'll be out of here pretty soon. I doubt we'll be stuck here much longer" said Brenda.

"I hope you're right. The sooner we can get home the better" said Claudette.

"Even if we do get out of here we don't know exactly where we are. That might make getting home that much more difficult" said Elias.

"Maybe we're not that far away from our family & friends. They could be nearby & we don't know it" said Flynn.

"Hopefully today we'll be out of here & Linda will go to jail" said Henry.

Everyone tried to find an escape route, but it didn't work. A basketball hoop & a pair of basketballs then appeared as Linda's voice was heard on the intercom.

"Today's challenge will be played round robin style. 2 at a time you'll face off in a basketball shootout. You'll each have 10 shots to make as many baskets as you can. Whoever gets the most baskets in each match wins. Whoever wins the most matches wins the challenge & gets to start the elimination process" said Linda.

Brenda & Claudette were the 1ST 2 to face off. They both grabbed the balls & took it in turns shooting hoops from an equal distance away. Brenda sank 6 baskets while Claudette sank 7 making her the winner of the 1ST match. Brenda then faced off against Elias. Elias carefully aimed at the basket with precision & easily beat Brenda 10 to 8. Brenda's next opponent was Flynn. She won the match by sinking 9 baskets to his 5. Brenda's final match was against Henry which she won after sinking 5 baskets to his 3. Claudette & Elias went next. Elias' aim & precision allowed him to win the match 10 to 9. Claudette & Flynn then faced off with Claudette winning 4 to 1. Claudette's final match against Henry ended with her winning 2 to 0. Elias & Flynn went next with Elias using his aim & precision to win 10 to 6. Elias' last match against Henry was close as they both got all 10 baskets. Elias won the tiebreaker to win the match. Flynn & Henry then faced off in the final match. Flynn took the victory after sinking 1 basket whereas Henry didn't sink any. Elias had won yet another challenge.

"Congratulations on winning again Elias. You get to start the elimination process again" said Linda.

The basketballs & basketball hoop disappeared & were replaced with a table holding 4 keys.

"I shall save Brenda" said Elias as he grabbed a key.

"I'm saving Flynn" said Brenda as she grabbed a key.

"The last person safe is Claudette" said Flynn as he grabbed a key.

"Final 4 here we come" said Claudette as she grabbed a key. This left Henry without a key.

"Henry you've been eliminated. The rest of you may enter the next room" said Linda.

Brenda, Claudette, Elias & Flynn entered the next room leaving Henry by himself.

"The death trap in this room is a giant hammer that'll knock you around & beat you to death. For a 6-year-old that's a pretty brutal way to die. Goodbye Henry" said Linda.

"HELP ME. I WANT MY PARENTS. DON'T LET ME DIE" cried Henry as a hammer swung out from the wall & struck him. Henry screamed in agony as the hammer knocked him around & beat him to death. Meanwhile Rubble had gone out to the desert in search of Linda & the kids. He searched everywhere he could & even asked Mr & Mrs Wingnut if they'd seen anything. Unfortunately, they hadn't. After searching every inch of the desert land & finding nothing Rubble returned to the Lookout.

"Did you find anything Rubble?" asked Ryder.

"No. There was nothing in the desert that was of any help & Mr & Mrs Wingnut hadn't seen anything either. I think it's safe to say that Linda & the kids are in another location" said Rubble.

"Thanks Rubble. We need to get some rest before we continue the search tomorrow" said Ryder.

Everyone proceeded to turn in for the night. As Rubble went to bed he thought about how bizarre it was that Linda & the kids weren't anywhere to be seen.

" _This is so weird. I don't understand how Linda & the kids can be so well hidden. We've almost run out of places to look for them. It's strange how nobody knows where they even went or the location of the rooms this game is being held at. Hopefully soon we'll find the answer to all this"_ thought Rubble as he went to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9: Name Hunters

Linda's game had now reached day 9. Brenda, Claudette, Elias & Flynn found themselves in another room.

"This entire thing will surely be over soon. Maybe today we'll get lucky & escape" said Brenda.

"I hope so. This madness has gone on long enough" said Claudette.

"I don't know what'll happen 1ST: The authorities finding us & taking Linda to jail or us getting through the rest of the game to escape. It could go either way" said Elias.

"No matter what we can't give up. We're almost out of here" said Flynn.

After attempting to escape again with no success a grid of tiles appeared. Linda's voice was then heard on the intercom.

"For today's challenge you'll all take it in turns looking for tiled letters that spell out the names of the other 3 kids. There are 36 tiles overall & the letters in your names make up 25 of them. The other 9 tiles are blank. Once all the tiles that spell out your name are revealed you're out. The person who remains the longest with at least 1 letter tile in their name undiscovered wins & gets to start the elimination process. Happy name hunting" said Linda.

Brenda went 1ST & picked a blank tile. Claudette also picked a blank tile as did Elias & Flynn. On the 2ND turn everyone picked out letter tiles. The letters were C, 2 T's & U. On tur tile was discovered. The 4TH turn had 4 E tiles uncovered, turn 5 saw 3 A tiles & a Y tile uncovered, turn 6 resulted in 2 N tiles, an S tile & an L tile, turn 7 uncovered another 2 L tiles, an R tile & another N tile, on tur tile was discovered which eliminated Claudette since all the letters in her name had been discovered, an F tile which eliminated Flynn & another blank tile. On the 9TH & final turn Brenda picked the last blank tile & Elias picked another D tile eliminating Brenda & making him the winner of the challenge.

"Congratulations on victory #9 Elias. Once again you get to kick off the elimination process" said Linda.

The grid of tiles disappeared & was replaced with a table holding 3 keys.

"I'm saving Brenda" said Elias as he grabbed a key.

"The last person safe is Flynn" said Brenda as she grabbed a key.

"The final 3 have been decided" said Flynn as he grabbed a key. This left Claudette without a key.

"You're eliminated Claudette. The rest of you may continue to the next room" said Linda.

Brenda, Elias & Flynn entered the next room leaving Claudette behind.

"The death trap in this room is a giant spike which will impale you. It chills me to the bone to see an 11-year-old die that way. Goodbye Claudette" said Linda.

"LET ME LIVE. I WON'T TURN YOU IN. DON'T DO THIS TO ME" cried Claudette as a giant spike launched out of the wall & impaled her. Claudette screamed as the spike pierced her body & killed her. Meanwhile Skye was in her helicopter flying over Adventure Bay & the surrounding areas to see if she could spot Linda & the kids from the air. She searched everywhere she could think of from the middle of town to the South Pole & everywhere else in between. Unfortunately, she didn't see anything that'd be of help. After searching everywhere that she could think of & finding nothing Skye returned to the Lookout.

"How did the air search go Skye?" asked Ryder.

"I couldn't see anything. I flew over every area I could think of, but I didn't see Linda or the kids anywhere. Their whereabouts are a complete mystery" said Skye.

"Thanks anyways Skye. We need to get some rest. Tomorrow the search shall continue" said Ryder.

Everyone proceeded to settle down for the evening. As Skye headed to bed she thought about how difficult it was to not find any leads.

" _I don't get it. How can Linda & the kids be so well hidden? Surely, they're not that far away. I just can't think of any exact locations that they'd be in. This is easily the longest mission we've ever been on. It beats the search & rescue efforts trying to find Elias when Aaron kidnapped him. I refuse to give up though. Even if there are little to no leads right now I have a feeling that sooner or later we'll find something that'll help find everyone"_ thought Skye as she went to sleep.


	10. Chapter 10: Last Man Standing

Linda's game was now on its 10TH day. Brenda, Elias & Flynn were all desperate to escape & return home.

"I want to get out of here already. I don't want to wait any longer to see my family & friends again" said Brenda.

"We all feel like that. Ever since we were all brought here all we wanted was to go home. It won't be long before we're back where we belong" said Elias.

"Our families must be worried sick about us. It's been 1.5 weeks since they last had contact with us & they don't know where we are. I hope today's our last day here" said Flynn.

Brenda, Elias & Flynn attempted to escape yet again but none of them were surprised when their attempt failed. A set of multi-section platforms then appeared as Linda was heard on the intercom.

"For today's challenge you have to stand on the platforms for as long as possible. It's split into 7 sections & every 10 minutes the outermost section will be removed leaving less room to stand on. If you fall off or if any part of your body other than your feet touches the platform you're out of the challenge. Whoever remains on their platform the longest wins & gets to decide who'll join them in the next room. Happy balancing" said Linda.

Brenda, Elias & Flynn each stood on a platform. At 1ST none of them had any trouble balancing. At the 10-minute mark the 1ST section was removed. Nobody was affected by this. The 2ND section was removed at the 20-minute mark with all 3 kids maintaining their balance. Section 3 was removed after 30 minutes which caused Flynn to wobble a bit but not enough to make him fall. After 40 minutes had passed the 4TH section was removed. Flynn wobbled again but kept his balance. When the 5TH section was removed after 50 minutes both Brenda & Flynn wobbled while Elias remained perfectly still. The 6TH & final removable section was taken away after 60 minutes had passed. Brenda & Flynn struggled to keep their balance & ultimately Flynn fell off his platform eliminating him from the challenge. With only 1 section left on the platform Brenda & Elias did their best to maintain their balance. Brenda kept wobbling while Elias remained as still as a statue. The challenge continued for another hour before Brenda fell off her platform making Elias the winner.

"Congratulations Elias. You've made it to the final 2. You also get to decide which of the other 2 shall join you" said Linda.

The platforms disappeared & were replaced with a table that had 2 keys on it.

"I choose to save Brenda" said Elias as he grabbed a key.

"Yay I'm in the top 2" said Brenda as she grabbed a key. This left Flynn without a key.

"You've been eliminated Flynn. Brenda & Elias you may enter the next room" said Linda.

Brenda & Elias proceeded to enter the next room leaving Flynn all alone.

"The death trap in this room is a giant fan that'll dice you to pieces. That's a gory demise for an 8-year-old. Goodbye Flynn" said Linda.

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING? LET ME GO HOME. I WANT TO SEE MY FAMILY & FRIENDS AGAIN" cried Flynn as a giant fan appeared. Flynn tried to resist being pulled into it, but it was no use. He screamed in horror as the fan diced him to pieces. Meanwhile Carlos & Tracker were searching through the jungle looking for Linda & the kids.

"There's a chance that Linda & the kids are probably hidden away somewhere around here. This is 1 of the last places I can think of that anybody would expect to find them" said Carlos.

"Si amigo. The jungle is a perfect place to hide because of how dense it is. Maybe we'll find something around here somewhere" said Tracker.

Carlos & Tracker searched everywhere they could. They checked through the bushland, ruins, temples & other open spaces. Despite their best efforts they found nothing. They proceeded to call Ryder to let him know.

"Hey guys. Was there anything in the jungle you found?" asked Ryder.

"Unfortunately, no. We searched everywhere we could think of, but we didn't come across anything that'd be of help" said Carlos.

"We have no idea where Linda & the kids could be. Their whereabouts are a mystery to us" said Tracker.

"Thanks anyways. Tomorrow we'll continue looking. Maybe we'll find something then" said Ryder.

Carlos & Tracker hung up & proceeded to settle down for the night. As Tracker went to bed he thought about how confusing it was not having any way of knowing where else to search.

" _Aye, aye, aye I feel dizzy from all this searching. This must be the most complex mission I've ever been on. I'm not sure where else to look. Everywhere we can search we've more than likely already done so. I hope tomorrow is the last day of the search so that we can get the kids back to their homes"_ thought Tracker as he went to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11: The Gauntlet

The 11TH day of Linda's game had arrived. Brenda & Elias both hoped that they were in the last room & that they'd be free once they got through the challenge.

"Once we get through whatever challenge Linda has for us we'll be free. She'll be behind bars by the end of the day" said Brenda.

"I can't wait to get her put where she belongs. Our families & friends will be so happy to see us once we escape. We can do this" said Elias.

Brenda & Elias once again attempted to escape but it proved futile. Everything involved in all the previous challenges then appeared in the room as Linda was heard on the intercom.

"This challenge combines everything you've done to get to this point. You'll start by eating a bowl of food before using a bow & arrow set to hit the target & score 100 points. Then you'll answer a series of trivia questions & once you get them all right you'll then have to score 1000 points on pinball, solve a slide puzzle & hang from a bar for 10 minutes. The next part of the challenge involves crossing a grid of tiles without picking any X tiles along the way before knocking down at least 5 bowling pins. Then you must navigate a ball through a table maze after which you'll have to make 5 baskets in a row. After that you must find all the letter tiles to spell out your name before balancing on the sectioned platforms for 15 minutes with each section being removed every 2 minutes. Once that's done you must cross the finish line. The 1ST person to finish wins the challenge & the entire game. May the best person win" said Linda.

Brenda & Elias both began eating the bowl of food. It was the same mixture as before. Elias used the same tactic to get it down before moving on. Brenda copied him to avoid falling behind. They both proceeded to the targets & began using precise aim & measurements to get the required score to advance. Elias got all 3 arrows on the bullseye while Brenda got 1 on the bullseye, 1 on the inner section & 1 on the outer section. The trivia quiz involved 10 questions of different topics from things like sports, politics, movies, music & TV amongst other things & every question had to be answered correctly to continue. Brenda & Elias easily breezed through the quiz & moved on. Once they arrived at the pinball machines they made sure to send the ball in every direction to get as many points as they could. After they got the required score they had to solve the sliding puzzles. It was tricky trying to get all the pieces in the right place but eventually they both finished almost simultaneously. Brenda & Elias then grabbed onto the bars & hung on. They both took deep breaths & put intense focus into hanging on that allowed them to stay on the bars long enough to continue. When they arrived at the grid of tiles they both tried to carefully plan out their route. As they crossed the grid they uncovered a few X tiles that sent them back to the start of the grid, but it didn't take long for them to figure out the correct path. Once they arrived at the bowling lane they both made sure to accurately aim the ball to knock down the required number of pins. Brenda & Elias successfully knocked over 5 pins each allowing them to continue. Once they reached the table maze they made sure to go at a steady pace to avoid having to restart. Their careful approach paid off & allowed their balls to reach the end of the maze without letting it fall into any holes along the way. Brenda & Elias then headed to the basketball hoop & began sinking baskets. It took a few attempts to get 5 consecutive baskets, but they succeeded after aiming the ball precisely. They then went over to the grid of letter tiles & began searching for the letters that spelt their name. Both the A & E tiles were quickly found as were the B, I, L, N & S tiles. The D & R tiles were found last allowing both Brenda & Elias to spell out their names & begin the final part of the challenge. As they stood on the sectioned platforms they made sure to remain as still as possible & not get thrown off balance. Every 2 minutes 1 of the 6 removable sections was taken away leaving less space to stand on. Once the platforms were down to the final permanent sections Brenda & Elias put as much focus into keeping their balance. Unfortunately for Brenda she fell off before she could last 15 minutes. Elias stayed on until the 15-minute goal had been reached allowing him to cross the finish line & win.

"Congratulations Elias. You're the winner. My condolences Brenda" said Linda.

The entire challenge setup disappeared & was replaced with a table that had 1 key resting on it.

"Once I get out of here I'll get the assistance of the authorities to take Linda to jail & get you & the others back home. I highly doubt that Linda killed them all. You'll be fine" said Elias as he entered the final room leaving Brenda by herself.

"The death trap in this room is a motion triggered firearm that'll shoot you full of bullets. How sad it is for a 9-year-old to die like that. Goodbye Brenda" said Linda.

"THIS ISN'T OVER. ELIAS WILL SAVE ME & THE OTHERS & HAVE YOU ARRESTED. YOU'RE TOAST LINDA" cried Brenda as a firearm appeared from the wall & locked onto Brenda before shooting her. Brenda screamed as she was shot to death. Meanwhile Zuma was out on the bay looking for Linda & the kids. He searched through the water & on Seal Island as well as asking Captain Turbot, Francois, Nikita, Wally & Walinda if they had seen anything that would lead in the right direction. Unfortunately, none of them had any useful info & Zuma couldn't find anything in the bay that was of help either. After failing to find a lead Zuma returned to the Lookout.

"Was there anything in the bay that was of help Zuma?" asked Ryder.

"No. I searched everywhere & asked everyone I could for any info, but I got nothing. I just don't know where else to search" said Zuma.

"Thanks anyways Zuma. We'll try again tomorrow. Let's get some rest" said Ryder.

Everyone proceeded to head off to bed. As Zuma lay in his pup house he thought about how strange it was that Linda & the kids could still be missing after 1.5 weeks.

" _I don't understand. How is it taking this long to find Linda & the kids? We've searched literally almost everywhere for them & yet despite our best efforts we've gotten no closer to finding them than when the search began. I hope that tomorrow we finally find them & get the kids home safely while Linda goes to jail for what she's done"_ thought Zuma as he went to sleep.


	12. Chapter 12: The Final Challenge

It was now the 12TH day since the beginning of Linda's game. Elias found himself in the final room. Linda was also in there making it the 1ST time any of the kids had seen her in person.

"So, we finally meet in person Linda" said Elias.

"Indeed. Congratulations on being the final remaining player. You did what 11 others couldn't. You survived" said Linda.

"Now that the game's over you can let the other kids go. There's no way they're dead. You'd have to be crazy to kill 11 children & broadcast it worldwide. Nobody would be stupid enough to do that" said Elias.

"That's where you're wrong. The other kids were all killed for not being saved at the end of each round. They're not returning home" said Linda.

"If this is your idea of a sick joke it's not funny. Let them go" said Elias.

"Looks like I have to prove that they're dead" said Linda as she pressed a button. The corpses & remains of the 11 other kids then appeared. Elias was horrified to see that Linda had killed the other kids & vomited in horror.

"YOU'RE CRAZY. HOW COULD YOU DO THIS? ONCE THE AUTHORITIES CATCH YOU IT'LL BE A 1 WAY JOURNEY TO DEATH ROW FOR YOU" yelled Elias.

"That's not happening. The game isn't quite over yet either. I have 1 final challenge for you. You have 12 minutes to find the 4-digit code required to open the door that'll take you to freedom. Each of the 4 digits must be retrieved through the completion of 4 mini tasks. The tasks include breaking open a series of orbs to find 1 of the digits, solving a Sudoku puzzle & using the leftover number as the 2ND digit, manoeuvring a metal hoop from 1 end of a wire to the other without letting them touch each other to retrieve the 3RD digit & holding a weighted rope for 1 minute to retrieve the 4TH digit. Once you get all the digits all you must do then is figure out the correct combination on the door. If you get it correct it'll open revealing the cash prize as compensation for what you went through as well as your freedom. I should also mention that there are bombs in each room & after every 60 seconds, a bomb will detonate starting with the 1ST room & working down towards this 1. If you fail to escape in time you'll be blown to smithereens. Sadly, I won't be around to watch you. It's time for me to leave this world. Goodbye Elias & good luck" said Linda as she pulled out a knife & slit her throat. She dropped to the floor having bled to death almost instantly. As soon as this happened the 12-minute countdown began. Elias began working on the mini tasks to get the digits needed to escape. He started with the orb smashing task. There were 100 orbs & only 1 contained a digit. Elias began breaking the orbs 1 by 1 to try & find the digit. Soon 1 minute passed & the bomb in the 1ST room detonated. Elias worked frantically to find the digit in time. The bomb in the 2ND room soon detonated causing Elias to pick up the pace. After smashing every orb, he finally found the digit. It was the number 6. The 3RD room's bomb detonated as he found it.

"1 down 3 to go" said Elias as he moved on to the Sudoku puzzle. Elias worked on 1 3x3 square at a time as he progressed through the puzzle placing the corresponding numbers in the right place. It took 3 minutes for him to solve the puzzle during which time the 4TH, 5TH & 6TH room bombs detonated. The 2ND digit was the number 8.

"Halfway there" said Elias as he moved on to the metal hoop & wire task. He made sure to be as steady as possible to get the hoop from 1 end of the wire to the other without letting them touch. Elias went at a slow & steady pace & finished the task in 2 minutes with the 7TH & 8TH room bombs detonating during this time. The 3RD digit was the number 5.

"I'm almost there. 1 more task left" said Elias as he went to the weighted rope. Elias quickly found that the rope was tied to a 50-pound weight. Although he felt the strain he took deep breaths & put intense focus into holding up the rope. He successfully held the rope for 1 minute allowing him to retrieve the final digit. It was the number 3. Just as he retrieved the final digit the 10TH room's bomb detonated.

"I better hurry. There's not much time left" said Elias as he ran to the door & began inputting different 4-digit codes. It proved to be easier said than done as there was no indication of which numbers went where. As Elias frantically worked on the code the bomb in the 11TH room detonated. Only 1 minute remained.

"I can't give up. I'm almost free" said Elias as he continued working on the code. As the final minute ticked away Elias thought of every code imaginable. Soon only 10 seconds remained. As those 10 seconds ticked away Elias finally got the right combination: 3856. He opened the door & shut it behind him. Just as the door shut the 12TH & final bomb detonated.

"That was close. I'm glad I'm free. Now I have to figure where I am" said Elias.

Behind the final door was a long tunnel. A briefcase containing $1,000,000,000 was left by the door which Elias grabbed & took with him. After a few minutes of walking down the tunnel Elias came to a stairway with a door at the top. He climbed up the stairs & opened the door. Behind the door he found himself in what appeared to be a closet as there were clothes hanging up. When Elias turned on the light he saw that the clothes included white long-sleeved t-shirts, blue, red, white & yellow vests, blue pants & various coloured pairs of socks. It was Ryder's closet.

"This is insane. I can't believe I'm in Ryder's closet. I bet he probably doesn't even know about the door & tunnel. He'll be surprised to see me" said Elias as he emerged from the closet. He then exited Ryder's room & went over to the Lookout elevator. He found Ryder on the top floor about to call the pups. When Ryder saw Elias, he was shocked.

"Elias is that you?" asked Ryder.

"It sure is. Good to see you buddy" said Elias.

Ryder ran over to Elias & gave him a hug. He was glad that Elias was OK.

"Where have you been? We've been looking everywhere for you" said Ryder.

"It turns out that the rooms Linda was holding us in were accessible via a tunnel behind a hidden door in your closet. We've been there the whole time" said Elias.

"You have to show me. Everyone will be so happy to see you again" said Ryder.

Elias & Ryder returned to Ryder's room where Elias showed Ryder the entrance to the tunnel. Ryder was shocked as he had never seen the door or the tunnel behind it before. The pups were called into Ryder's room & were ecstatic to see that Elias was OK. They then investigated the 12 rooms & the tunnel that connected them to the Lookout. All they found was charred human remains.

"I can't believe that you guys were under our feet the whole time" said Chase.

"This is 1 of the last places I'd ever think to look" said Marshall.

"That's probably why Linda hid down there. She never would've expected us to look for her here" said Rocky.

"It's sad that those other 11 kids were killed. Their families will be incredibly saddened by this news" said Rubble.

"I'm just glad that we'll be able to get some form of closure on this" said Skye.

"It's good to have you back Elias. Things weren't the same without you" said Zuma.

"I missed you all too. I better get home. See you guys later" said Elias as he left the Lookout & returned to his mansion. As soon as he walked through the door everyone became happy as they cried tears of joy.

"ELIAS YOU'RE OK" cried Angel as she ran over & jumped into Elias' arms.

"Believe it or not Linda's "game" was being held in a series of rooms connected to the Lookout by a tunnel which was hidden behind Ryder's closet. Linda & the 11 other kids are all dead" said Elias.

"I was scared we'd never see you again. I'm glad you made it home OK" said Ella.

"We all are. It's good to see you" said Ethan.

"For the last 12 days everyone's been looking everywhere for you. We never stopped looking" said Harry.

"Now that you're home we can all breathe a sigh of relief. I love you Elias" said Kelly as she kissed Elias.

"I feel bad for the families of the other 11 kids. They must be absolutely heartbroken knowing that their kids are gone" said Susie.

"No matter what they'll always be in our hearts & minds. We'll never forget what happened" said Terry.

Everyone proceeded to eat dinner. They talked about what Elias had gone through, how he planned to put the money he won to good use & how good it was to be back home again. As Elias went to bed that night he thought about the insanity of the last 12 days.

" _For just under 2 weeks I've had to endure a dozen crazy challenges. It was like a reality show gone horribly wrong. Linda's lucky she took her own life. If she hadn't she'd more than likely end up on death row for what she did. Although it's not exactly a happy ending for everyone I'm just glad that I was able to escape & bring closure on this ordeal. I hope this kind of thing never happens to me or anyone I know ever again"_ thought Elias as he fell asleep.

 **THE END**


End file.
